AT&T, CWA Extend Contract as Negotiations Continue

AT&T Mobility and the Communications Workers of America (CWA) have agreed to extend their contract, which expired Feb. 9, so that negotiations between the company and union may continue.

The contract covers more than 20,000 AT&T Mobility employees, including customer service representatives, technicians, and retail store employees, in 36 states and the District of Columbia. The CWA has stated that job security and an end to AT&T Mobility contracting out work are the main priorities to be addressed in the talks, along with fair wages, benefits and working conditions.

The CWA has been documenting the proceedings with a string of bargaining reports, some of which have contained harsh appraisals of AT&T Mobility’s negotiation practices.

“As you can see, the Company is either not getting what we are saying or they are just that unwilling to share the profits; in other words, they are greedy. Increasing your wages means nothing to them; allowing more flexibility means nothing to them; setting restrictions on how the Company administers the Commission Plan, Job Security, Holidays, Absence Time just to name a few are of no interest to them,” the CWA said in a post dated Feb. 9.

AT&T spokesman Marty Richter told Wireless Week this morning, "Our goal in these negotiations is to continue to provide and protect high-quality middle-class careers for our employees, with wages and benefits that are among the best in the country. Our employees are well-compensated, and will continue to be. We are not proposing to reduce their wages or take away their benefits."